Case : Naruto
by DarkLordTaker
Summary: Naruto is found in his bed, dead. Everyone is left with the same question running through their heads, Why?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, and I seriously doubt I ever will.

* * *

Chapter 1 

"Would someone mind explaining the reason as to why were here?" asked a bored Shikamaru. 

"Actually, there is no real reason," Ino responded. 

"Then why _are_ we here?" asked Chouji. 

"Well it's just that it's been a while since everyone has gotten together and I thought it would be nice if we did. 

"Or, it could be that you felt like being troublesome as always." Shikamaru commented with a smirk. The smirk, however, quickly disappeared when Ino decided that now would be a nice time to introduce the top of his head to her fist. 

"Damn woman." He muttered. Ino just gave him a glare that told him to keep his mouth shut. 

He looked around. They sat in a restaurant that afternoon. It wasn't fancy but it was comfortable. He looked and saw Ino had turned back to Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten. The four were currently discussing the lastest gossip and fashon, and as usual, Hinata rarely spoke, but everyone was used to it. 

On the other end of the table sat Neji, Sasuke, Shino, and Lee, who were currently discussing fighting styles. Shikamaru nearly groaned, but he was too lazy even for that. 'I can only hope that they don't start a fight. But knowing them, I should expect it in approximately 3 to 5 minutes' he mused. 

Couji sat in front of him, and next to Chouji sat Kiba, both of whom were scarfing down their meals with gusto. It was then he realized someone was missing. Someone else who should be right there with Chouji and Kiba scarfing down a meal. "Hey," he asked aloud to no one in particular, "has anyone seen Naruto?" 

It went deathly quiet. Shikamaru looked around nervously. "Did I say something wrong?" 

"No," replied Sakura, "it's just that no ones seen him in almost a week." 

"I called his place, but he didn't pick up. I left him a message but I don't know if he got it or not." 

"Is he on a mission?" asked Neji. 

Everyone looked to Sakura. Since she was the Hokage's apprentice, she should know if he was called for a mission. Sakura shook her head. "He hasn't been on a mission in almost a month." 

"The dobe probably knocked himself out training too hard." 

"Even though it is possible, I don't think that would be the reason. I mean, could he _really_ have knocked himself out for an entire week?" Shikamaru questioned. None of them could say that he wasn't right, but there was no proof that he was, either. 

"Well, since I'm done with my meal, I think I might go see why he hasn't been around this past week." Sikamaru told them. He stood up and headed to the door. 

Hinata also stood up and followed him, "I'll c-come with." She stated.

* * *

Shikamaru and Hinata headed arrived at Naruto's apartment. Not a word had been said between them the entire way. Shikamaru grabbed the handle and turned, but it would not move. "Locked." he stated. 

"Then break it," came a voice behind them. They whirled around to see that the others had followed them. 

"What are you guys doing here?" Shikamaru asked. 

"We were curious." Sakura stated. 

"Move away." Neji told him. Shikamaru stepped to the side. Neji walked up and pressed two fingers to the lock. He fired some chakra from his fingertips, shattering the insides of the lock. He slowly turned the door handle, it opened as he had predicted. Opening the door, he stepped inside. The others silently followed him in. They stood in Naruto's living room, lookin around the untidy apartment. Sasuke absently kicked an empty ramen cup away. 

"Naruto?" Shikamaru called out, "Naruto, are you here?" 

Nothing. 

He slowly made his way to Naruto's bedroom. He slowly opened the door, and gasped at what he saw. 

"Guys, get in here, now!" he called. 

They all followed his call to the bedroom. He moved aside. They all had the same reaction that he did, except of course, for Sasuke. Hinata walked towards the bed. Sakura walked over to the prone figure in the bed, and promptly slapped him. "Naruto! Wake up you baka!" 

He did not move. 

Hinata's eyes widened in horror as she realized, "He's not breathing." 

Neji walked over to the bedside. Slowly he reached over and pressed two fingers to Naruto's neck. The ice cold skin was more than enough to confirm his suspicions. He didn't even have to wait for a pulse. He stood back up. As he said the next two words, Hinata could practically feel her world shatter around her. "He's dead."

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Whew! Okay tell me what you think please! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, and I seriously doubt I ever will.

* * *

Chapter 2 

The eleven genin stood around the prone body of their friend. Hinata could feel the tears starting to form in her pale eyes. For a while, no one said a word. Finally, Shikamaru spoke up. 

"We should take him to Tsunade-sama." 

The others could only nod in agreement, but nobody moved. 

"So who's gonna do it?" asked Chouji. 

There was a distinct pause before Neji stepped forward and collected Naruto in his arms. As he lifted Naruto, something fell to the ground with a small thud. They all froze, their eyes glued to the object. Hinata stared through tear-filled eyes at the small black book that had landed at her feet. She slowly bent over and picked it up. 

The book was just slightly bigger than her hand. It had no markings on it at all, no title, nothing. Her hands trembling, she slowly opened the book. Inside was some writing, but what it said, she couldn't decipher. It was as if it were written in a different language. 

Neji peered over and saw the writing as well. "It's coded," He stated simply, "you should bring it with us and give it to Hokage-sama." 

Hinata gave a small nod. She slowly closed the mysterious book and placed it in her pocket. Neji, with Naruto in his arms, stalked down the hall and out the front door. Hinata was right behind him, attempting to dry her eyes. The others followed the two Hyuugas, all of them still trying to comprehend the loss of their fellow shinobi. 

Neji continued to walk straight towards the Hokage tower, shooting glares at anyone who stared even a second too long. When they finally reached the tower, Neji walked straight up to the front desk. 

"We need to see Hokage-sama." He stated flatly. 

The young lady looked up at him and nearly trembled in fear at the sight of a Hyuuga. "G-go right ahead, sir." She stumbled in fear. 

Neji just turned and started up the stairs to Tsunade's office. When he reached the large double-doors to her office, the two ANBU members were waiting, one on either side of the door. Neji knew they both could see the dead Naruto in his arms. He knew they were smiling, but he didn't understand why. He shot them a death glare before stopping in front of the double-doors. 

Without a word, he lifted his leg and kicked the doors open. Tsunade, who for once wasn't sleeping, looked up from her paperwork shocked at the sudden intrusion. "What the hell-" she started, but stopped at the sight of the limp blonde boy in the Hyuuga's arms. Her eyes widened in fear. "What happened?" 

Shikamaru, whose usually bored face was replace with a rare, sad one, told her the two words she feared. "He's dead." 

"H-how?" she asked 

"Not sure." He said with a small shrug. 

"What do you mean 'not sure'?" she asked, halfway to hysterics. 

"We found him like this." Neji responed. 

"Where?" 

"His room." 

She looked down at the motionless blonde. Neji cleared his throat. "We also found this." He said looking to his cousin. Hinata reached into her pocket and pulled out the little black book. She extended it out in front of her. Tsunade took the book and opened it. She stared at the coded word for a few minutes before walking over to one of the ANBU in front of her door. She handed the book to him with the instructions, "Take this to the spy department and see if they can decipher it." 

She turned back to the group of young shinobis. She stepped over to Neji, and extended her arms and took Naruto in her arms. She stared towards the door. Stopping just outside in the hallway, she turned to the others and told them, "I'm taking him to the hospital. You should go home, or if you're willing to wait a while, you can go to the lobby." 

They filed out and headed down the stairs. Tsunade had gone up the stairs the other way. The only ones remaining were the two Hyuugas. Neji had only stayed because it was his duty to protect his cousin. Hinata had been staring out into space. She hadn't even realized that everyone had left. 

Her mind was riddled with questions. 'Why would this happen to Naruto-kun? _Who_ did this to him? Did he do it to himself? No! Don't think like that! Naruto-kun would never do something like this to himself.' She was so cought up in her thoughts she didn't sense her cousin approach her. 

Neji stood next to Hinata. He could see the far away look in her eyes. He knew she was thinking of Naruto. He had noted on several occasions that her eyes would glaze over when she was thinking of Naruto. This time was no exception. He moved in a little closer, "Hinata-sama?" 

No response. 

He asked again, this time a little louder. "Hinata-sama?" 

Her head jerked up, spun to face him, and then ducked in shame and embarrassment. "Gomen-nasai." She apologized. 

"It's alright." He assured her. "Would you like to go home? Or would you prefer to wait in the lobby?" 

She paused for a second. "Lobby." She stated. 

The two walked to the lobby to find everyone else waiting there as well. Neji sat down next to Tenten. Hinata sat a little ways away from everyone, but was still nearby. She just wanted some time to herself.

* * *

Several hours had passed. Dusk was beginning to fall. Several people had left for dinner about an hour ago. Some of those remaining were beginning to leave as well. Neji had asked Hinata if she wanted to leave several times already. Each time, he received the same answer where Hinata would just continue to stare off into space and give a small headshake of 'no'. 

It was now dark. Neji stood up and walked over to Hinata again. Standing in front of her he said, "We should really go home now. It's very late, I'm sure your father's worried by now." He was surprised when he saw her eyes narrow. 

Hinata didn't move, but simply stated, "I'm not leaving." He could see that she wasn't going to budge on this one. Neji gave a heavy sigh. 

"Then I'm stuck here too." 

For the first time since they arrived in the lobby, Hinata looked up. "Why do you say that?" 

"I'm supposed to protect you, remember?" he responded. 

Her head drooped again, "Oh, sumimasen." 

Neji gave a small sigh, "It's alright." He walked off, only to return a few minutes later with a bundle in his arms. He gently tossed it onto his cousin, who gave a small yelp of surprise. "A blanket with a pillow wrapped inside it, in case you want to sleep," he told her before sitting down in the chair across the aisle from her with his own blanket. He laid himself across a few of the chairs, laid his head on his pillow and covered himself with his blanket. He closed his eyes and was asleep in a few minutes. 

Hinata decided that she should get some sleep too. She laid down on a few of the chairs in her row, laid her own head on her pillow and covered herself with the blanket her cousin had given her. It was then that she really noticed her blanket. It had cute little foxes printed on it. She smiled. They seemed to remind her of him. "Naruto-kun" she whispered before sleep over took her. 

Alright! Finally an update. I hope you all enjoy it. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, and I seriously doubt I ever will.

Regarding the ages of the characters – just assume they are about 18 and 19, okay?

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Chapter 3

Hinata woke with a start. Her eyes shot open and almost instantly, she shut them again. The bright lights of the hospital's lobby stung her eyes. She tried opening them again. It was still bright, but just a little less intense. She blinked a few times before her vision started to clear. She rubbed the remaining sleep out of her eyes and looked up to see the cheerful face of Tsunade smiling down at her.

"Tsunade-sama, ano…Naruto-kun…" Hinata tried to speak.

Tsunade's smile seemed to get even bigger. "Don't worry. He's out of the ER and resting."

Hinata sighed in relief. "Ano, w-what was wrong with him?" she wondered.

Tsunade's face turned serious for a second, "I'll be explaining that later," she then brightened again, "but for now, if you want to visit him, you can, he's in room 327."

Hinata smiled and felt her face heat up, a feeling she was all too familiar with. She pushed the fox blanket off herself and stood up. She gave a small bow and an a quiet "Arigato" before heading to the elevator.

Before she got three steps away, Tsunade grabbed her shoulder, "Hinata," she said. The smaller girl turned to face the village leader. The blonde gave a comforting smile "You should probably go home and change first. Oh, and don't worry about your father. I contacted him personally and explained the situation and he's fine with it." 

To say that Hinata was surprised would be a bit of an understatement. Her father was actually okay with it? Hinata couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto her face.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile at the girl, she was just too cute. "Go on home and change, now. Naruto's not going anywhere."

Hinata gave another bow and a happier "Arigato" before turning again and heading for the front door.

Tsunade gave a light chuckle and shook her head at the shy girl's antics. As she headed back to her office she couldn't help but wonder if Naruto would ever know how much the Hyuuga girl truly loved him.

* * *

Hinata quietly walked into the Hyuuga house. She walked to the main hall. Neji sat at one of the tables reading quietly. He looked up when he heard her enter.

"Hinata-sama, you're back." He stated.

"Hai. W-when did you get back?" she asked. 

"About a half hour ago. A few minutes after I woke up, Tsunade-sama came up to me and told me to go home. She said she'd watch over you until you woke up." he explained.

"I see. Well, I'm g-going to change a-and then I'm heading back t-to the hospital." she told him. Neji simply nodded and went back to his reading. Hinata headed down the hallway towards her room. On her way, her sister Hanabi walked by. Hanabi shot Hinata a disgusted look, but for once, Hinata didn't care, and Hanabi noticed this.

'What's with her? She's being even weirder than usual. Whatever. It doesn't matter. It won't be long before she's kicked out and I am made the head of the Hyuuga.' Hanabi thought.

Hinata changed quickly. Though, it was the same outfit that she always wore, at least this one was clean. Satisfied, she headed out to the hospital. When she approached, she tried to remember what room number Naruto was in.

'Hmm…" she wondered, 'Did Hokage-sama say 237 or 327? Oh well, I guess I'll try both.' She thought as she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor. She calmly stepped out of the elevator when it reached the second floor. She walked along the hallway silently counting the room numbers as she went. Finally, room 237 was on her left. She cautiously peered in. Inside on the bed was a man, currently unconscious, covered from head to toe in second and third degree burns. Hinata's eyes widened as her stomach lurched. She turned deftly and headed straight back the way she came. Her mind was scarred from the image. She tried to think of Naruto to get it out of her mind, but only succeeded in envisioning Naruto with burns covering his body. She stopped and shook her head. She finally managed to think of Naruto's smiling face, clearing the other, horrible images from her head.

She finally reached the elevator and pressed the up button. After waiting about 30 seconds the doors opened. The nurse inside gave her a quick look before shifting her eyes away and focusing straight ahead. Hinata didn't mind. After all, that's what you do on the elevator: not look at the other people on it. She stepped inside, turned around and pressed the '3' button. The short ride was in silence. The elevator stopped at three and the doors opened. Hinata stiffly stepped out and gave a small sigh of relief when the doors shut behind her. Elevators were so uncomfortable.

She continued down the hall before her. '327…327…327…' she repeated in her mind. Suddenly there it was. She peered inside and there he was. She stepped in and walked over to the bed. There was a tube in his mouth controlling his breathing, and an IV drip injecting some strange, clear liquid into his arm. Hinata turned her attention to his face. It hadn't changed much except for a little color that had returned to it. She checked the room and found a chair in the corner. She pulled it over to the side of the bed and sat down. With nothing but the beeping of his heart monitor to keep her company, she couldn't think of anything else to do so she just ended up watching him, silently hoping he would pull through.

* * *

Hinata had been watching him for a while, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gave a small jump and turned her head to see Neji. "N-Neji-nii-san, you scared m-me."

"Sumimasen, Hinata-sama, demo, Tsunade-sama wishes to see us." he told her." 

She gave a nod, "Hai." Standing up, she quietly said goodbye to Naruto. She turned and followed her cousin to Tsunade's office. Upon their arrival, she immediately noticed that all of their friends were there as well. Some of them gave her some small nods, acknowledging their arrival.

"Okay," Tsunade begun, "now that everyone is here I'll begin. Obviously, you are all wondering about Naruto. First of all, he is not going to die." A few people seemed to relax at that. "However, the fact that he is alive right now is nothing short of a miracle. You see, Naruto was poisoned; luckily, I had a few small vials of the antidote in storage. However, it was not just any poison. It was one of the most deadly poisons know to man. Judging from the amount of poison still in him, we were able to determine that he had been poisoned six days ago. He should have been dead within six hours. Now you are probably wondering how he was still alive after six days. Unfortunately, the reason is Top Secret, S-Class information, and I need all of you to swear to me that you will not let anyone know this information."

Tsunade looked out over the faces of Naruto's friends. They all nodded silently. She gave a sigh, silently hoping there would be no bad reactions, before continuing. "You all know of the Kitsune-no-Kyuubi, right?"

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Sakura interrupted, "The Kyuubi attacked Konoha and Yodaime-sama defeated him."

Tsunade sighed again, "I'm afraid not, Sakura." Noticing the confusion on their faces, she continued, "The Yodaime could not kill the Kyuubi. No one could, demons are immortal. Instead, the Yodaime used a secret forbidden technique that struck a deal with the Death God. In exchange for the Yodaime's soul, the Death God would seal Kyuubi's soul and destroy its body." 

"Demo, Tsunade-sama," Hinata spoke up, "Ano, what w-was K-Kyuubi soul sealed into?"

Tsunade looked at the shy girl, her eyes emotionless as she told her, "Naruto."

Hinata, as well as the others, stood there in shock. Hinata's mind was going a mile a minute. It all made sense now. His immense stamina. The strange chakra Neji had told her about. The way the villagers looked at and treated him - they all thought he was the Kyuubi-no-kitsune. She knew the truth, though. 'He is just the container, not the Kyuubi itself,' she told herself, 'He is still the boy I've been in love with all these years.'

"Now," Tsunade called their attention again, "the other reason I've called you all here is that I am assigning you all to find his attempted murderer. The poison used is sold only in a small handful of shops in the entire Fire Country. I will give you their locations. I want you to search those shops and interrogate the workers and owners to see if they remember anyone who has bought any. Not only that, but I want you to check and interrogate local pharmacies as well, just in case. And somebody please check at Ichiraku Ramen to see if they remember anyone unusual coming in six days ago. Understood?" Everyone nodded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." They chorused.

"Right, then. You are all dismissed."

As everyone left, Hinata followed her cousin. 'Naruto-kun,' she thought silently, 'I will find out who did this to you, and I will kill them myself. That is my new lifelong promise to you.'

* * *

Okay! There you go. Tell me what you think, please. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, and I seriously doubt I ever will.

Holy Hell, an update!!! A sincere apology to my fans for not updating, but, quite frankly, I'm lazy. Any-dang-ways, on to the story.

* * *

Chapter 4

"Come in." Tsunade said without looking up as she heard the knock on her door. Even as the newcomers entered she didn't look up.

It had been three and a half weeks since Naruto had been brought to her and she was still searching for any possibility of finding or making a cure. The boy continued to lay in a comatose state. She had managed to return his organs to functioning capacity, except for his brain, which continued to stay at comatose levels. She finally raised her head when one of them cleared their throat. Her chocolate brown eyes laid themselves upon Team 8 and she smiled hopefully.

"Report." She stated calmly, not wanting to get her hopes too far up.

"Nothing" was Shino's simple answer. Though he masked it well, Tsunade could tell he was disappointed. Her gaze drifted downward until she was glaring at the papers currently littering her desk.

"Very well," she said without looking up, "you may go." Without looking up, Tsunade could tell that they had left using Shunshin no Jutsu. Knowing that they had left she closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

The teams had combed the entire Fire Country for two weeks, visiting every apothecary and medical store and clinic, and had turned up nothing. She had sent messages to Suna and Kiri requesting any information they had on the locations of such places in their respective countries. She included with her request an explanation of Naruto's condition. Gaara had quickly agreed and sent the information along with a letter expressing his hopes that a remedy would be found quickly and that the culprit would be brought to justice.

The Mizukage, however, had been reluctant. Tsunade had expected this and had sent a letter to Tazuna requesting that he speak with his Kage in hopes of convincing him to agree. Luckily, it worked. As soon as Tsunade had received the information, she sent out teams to investigate, three to Suna and two to Kiri. Team 8 was now the first to report back, with nothing.

"Ano, Tsunade-sama?" came a voice.

Tsunade's head snapped up to see Hyuuga Hinata before her. Knowing what the girl wanted, Tsunade gave her an understanding smile.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," she said, "but there's been little change in Naruto's condition since you left, but you may go visit him if you wish."

Hinata was slightly startled by the Godaime's anticipation, but she quickly composed herself.

"Arigato, Tsunade-sama." She said, giving a small bow before turning and calmly walking out the door.

Tsunade couldn't help but smile as she watched the girl leave. It was almost painfully obvious that Hinata was still in love with the boy. She would spend nearly every waking moment at his bedside, only leaving to shower or eat, which they pretty much had to force her to do. The only time she left willingly was to search for information, which she seemed almost too eager to do.

Tsunade sighed again and closed the scrolls she had been reading and began to organize her desk. Once her desk was clean, sort of, she stood and briskly left her office. Along her way, she came across Shizune, who immediately tried to get her back into her office. Tsunade simply raised a hand.

"Fifteen minutes," was all she said. The brunette gave a soft smile and a nod.

A couple of minutes later Tsunade stood outside room 327. She took a breath to steady herself and opened the door. Inside, she saw just what she expected, Hinata sitting by Naruto's bedside holding his hand in hers. It would almost be too cute, if it weren't for the seriousness that Naruto's life hung in the balance.

Tsunade walked over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. She almost regretted it when she saw the girl jump. She did her best to give the girl a warm smile.

"Hinata," she began, "I'm about to tell you something that no one knows. Now as you know, Naruto's brain wave levels are at comatose levels, but they have increased,"

Hearing this, Hinata's eyes widened and filled with hope, but Tsunade held up a hand.

"Barely." She continued. "They've only gone up four percent in the past three and a half weeks, and if it continues he might actually come out of his coma, but probably not for about five or six months."

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open. Tsunade spun around ready to berate anyone who would disturb a moment like this, but she was cut short by the person who entered, Ino.

"Hokage-sama!" she yelled, "We've got a lead!"

A soon as those words registered in Tsunade's mind, she gave her instructions.

"My office, now!"

In an instant, they were gone leaving a stunned and bewildered Hinata in their wake. As soon as Hinata comprehended what had taken place she looked to the boy she admired so much.

"This might be my chance, Naruto-kun." She said giving a gentle kiss to the back of his hand. "I'll be back soon." she told him. With that, the turned and followed her Hokage to her office.

* * *

Okay! Short update, I know, but I'll probably update soon, so stay tuned. 


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